Counting down to Christmas

Christmas for me is going to be a little bit different this year. Instead of heading back to my hometown of Worksop, I’ll be heading North. Far North.

I’m going to Sweden. And I’m very, very excited. It won’t be my first time in the country, but my only taste of it so far has been a few days in Gothenburg at the age of 12, where the most vivid memory I have is finding out about Chernobyl at an open-air photography exhibit.

I’ll be spending Christmas in very small town in Central Sweden called Stöde, but I’ll be hitting a few places en-route.

The itinerary

My Christmas route

1. I’ll be heading from Manchester to Stockholm via a lengthy stopover in Amsterdam. My stopover is around 7 hours, so may or may not head into Amsterdam.
2. I’ll have a day in Stockholm, to see the sights, before catching the 5 hr bus up to Sundsvall.
3. I’ll have around 3 days with family in the Stöde/Sundsvall area to celebrate Christmas.
4. Then it’s the bus back to Stockholm for another day exploring the city, with another two nights in a hostel.
5. I’ll then fly home via Amsterdam, this time with a 8.5 hr stopover, where I’ll definitely head into the city.

Packing

Getting organised

I absolutely cannot wait to head back to a country with a real climate. I am a huge fan of snow and I am just hoping my exposure to the Russian winter will serve me well as I head further North than I’ve ever been. (Though I bought a hat in Primark, just in case.)

Blacks has also kindly kitted me out with a North Face fleece and Blacks Alpine Aqua 60l + 10l rucksack, which I will be reviewing in the New Year.

God Jul!

In the mad rush to get presents sorted for Christmas, I keep forgetting how excited I actually am. It will be my first time in Stockholm, my first true white Christmas, and I’ll even get a few more hours in Amsterdam, a city I seem doomed to only see in small bursts thanks to KLM stopovers. Can’t wait!

Now I just have to survive the office Christmas party…